Parting Words
by Blastoh
Summary: Superman tries to atone for past crimes...Based on Injustice, with some N52 and MoS elements.
1. Chapter 1

Ghosts

Today was just a regular day, that shouldn't have held any meaning whatsoever to him.

He wasn't sure why exactly he was here, especially after all that had transpired between them over the course of 40 years. Betrayal after betrayal, scheme after scheme, setback after setback, and yet here he was.

At his sworn enemy's grave.

But really...were they truly enemies?

Or just brothers that due to the acts of one madman, were separated by an invisible wall of sadness, hate, and regret that prevented them from seeing eye to eye ever again?

To be honest, he still to this day did not know.

"I guess that makes two of us then."

He could remember the look on his face when he drove his arm through that bastard's chest, the maniacal cackles of laughter still rung through his ears. And once again, he was haunted.

That quick.

That easy.

Eventually, things came to a head. Mirror images from another universe were called upon to stop him, he, who at that time, was to blinded by that very same wall that divided him from his brother.

He thought he was doing the right thing all along, by avenging those that were lost so long ago. Lois, and their child, gone.

Nothing could bring them back, he understood that now. Sure, a hundred years have passed since that great war that nearly devastated the world over, but he wasn't a moment too late, nor soon.

He just came to an epiphany, out of the blue, that he didn't need the memory of Lois and their would be child anymore to continue his mission. It hadn't been the foundation for his life before her death, and for far too long, he had let it rule over him. So if he could live without her before, he just had to now.

"I wish I could have stopped it all before all of...you know what. I'm not here to say you were right all along, nor am I here to tell you how wrong you were either, and don't think that in my head it isn't vice versa. I know I wasn't right, I get it now...I guess, I'm here to just say..."

He took out an old JL communicator of ages passed. Back when things were simpler, and he wasn't the man he was today. There were more sins to atone for, and understood that Earth wasn't home to a race that just simply forgets, but he was okay with that. Redemption is indeed a lonely, yet rewarding road. Whether now, he's just a wanderer, or a roaming hero that doesn't limit himself to one place at a time, it didn't matter. Those were just labels and classifications.

He didn't need that.

"The past is a ghost. Ghosts can't move on. I've been there, before. You seen it, the look in my eyes, where I could barely contain myself. And I felt as if I had just woke up yesterday from that hundred year nightmare. I tried to break your back, and I'm guessing I did, but knowing you, you didn't stay down for long. I hear you had a remedy for those, and Rao knows it wasn't the first time someone tried to do that to you."

A small laugh escaped his lips, "You were always prepared. For anything. Yet why, my friend, why...couldn't you just kill me. I thought you would be prepared to do so, that for a friend, even for one that committed as much evil as I, you could put aside our one rule that binded us together so long ago, and just kill me. It would have been mercy, you could have saved yourself the trouble. But I guess that's what made you the better man back then, or maybe not. You knew I wanted death, yet you wouldn't grant it, you just let me keep going, knowing I wouldn't stop until you dropped for good. But why? Why did you have to push yourself so hard? Why couldn't you just do what had to be done? *Sigh* I guess that's just the theme of our little tale eh? Wanting to do what was necessary, but ultimately failing..."

He dropped down to one knee, and rubbed his hand along the northern ridge of the lavish tombstone, that just refused to wither away, much like the man that rested underneath it. Scanning the name, the date of birth, and the date he ended, he long ago turned off his emotions, but bit by bit, he allowed himself to heal, just a little bit more each time.

"I know a little something of that though. We all do, it's what binded us together. Our duty."

He let the communicator go. Letting it fall and sink in to the soil, soon enough, this grave would swallow it whole.

"Goodbye, Bruce." He just about whispered to his dead friend, in hopes he could hear him.

"Mommy, whose that man?" A little girl pointed at the tall, young and well built man that stood over and placed something by Bruce Wayne's grave.

The mother looked over from her dead husband's grave the next row over but found no one there, "There's no one there sweety, maybe you're just tired."

"No mommy, I seen a man, oh! Maybe it was a ghost."


	2. Chapter 2

The Last Night

He wasn't sure what to do at first.

Ever since he had receded from the gaze of the world, he cut off all contact with others from his former Regime.

New heroes had since risen that took up the Insurgency's flag, and many others had risen to take up the One Earth Regime's. It was truly an endless bloody battle, and it may just never end.

Not while he was still alive anyway.

And yet, here he was, looking for her.

Hoping that after all this time she hadn't moved on, or at least not in the way that he had. He was ready to leave Earth, not in the heart, but only physically.

Some might say he was running, but those people aren't him, they know the story, from what he had given the media. The Son of folk long gone, both on this world and Krypton. Two different sides of the social spectrum, one side, a very high and prestigious family of scientists, and the other a simple couple, a farmer and his wife. Hundred years have gone by and they still act like he is someone to be feared and yet revered, the world is still torn between the past, and the future, as if the present is nothing but a bleak purgatory that must be tolerated until a better option presents itself. And even now, after all these years that the man has been dead, the Batman's influence refuses to fade, causing the New Earth Conglomerate (formerly known as Insurgency) to once again go to arms with the One Earth Regime, which is headed this time by a new "hero" named Magog who the media has embraced as the New Man of Tomorrow.

Kal chuckled to himself, the world never changes. Perhaps he shouldn't either.

Along his flight to Themyscira, he had realized he still didn't know what to say to Diana when they meet. It had been a long while, long enough to where he wasn't sure where things between them began and ended. Like many things in this world at the moment, things between them were in a state of purgatory where depending on whatever he chose to tell her tonight, could finally reach its end, or its sweet beginning.

Lois had long passed, and should he have been the same man he was a century ago, then he would fight tooth and nail to bring her back, bodies could stack, but the ends would justify the means.

It still pissed him off to this day, how selfish and blind he was. People lose their loved ones every few seconds, and thats not even counting Earth. Somewhere at this very same moment, someone's girlfriend, husband, wife, boyfriend, sibling, mother and father was dead or dying. And what was he doing when he lost Lois? Becoming the very same thing he promised the world he would never be, the monster that lurked within.

But things have changed, and so will he, he has to. If not, then the monster that receded back into it's dwelling will no doubt appear again, under a different light, in a changed circumstance.

And so here he is, floating above the Palace where her mother resided. It was about 3:30 A.M. Themysciran time, the Queen, even Donna should be resting right now, but what about Diana? He knew that despite all that had happened through the years, the Amazons took their princess back with open arms, much to the chagrin of the outside world, they would never turn their backs on the woman that had fought and fought to spread their message as best as she could. The Amazons preached that it was the outside world that had twisted the truth and spun it's evil webs, thus trapping Diana of Themyscira in a cocoon of poison. And only with her own people could she find peace again.

_So just what the hell am I doing here? What can I do?_

_"You are the greatest man I have ever known, you will lead, and I will follow, not because I submit to you, but because in my heart, deep down, I know you are right, I feel it."_

_But does she still feel the same? _

"One way to find out."

Kal swooped down to the balcony he knew to be hers. There was no window, only a thin sheet which hung from the threshold of the balcony, acting as a curtain. He touched down, and was grateful that he was not spotted by neither Sentinel, nor guard that he knew without a doubt, would have made his time here much more difficult than he intended it to be. He was of the outside, and he was a man after all, so his presence here was forbidden. But he had confidence in his own speed, after all he was still Superman. He was as he was a century ago, if not faster, stronger, better.

He pushed the sheet up, and ducked under to pass through.

And there she lay, without a shred of clothing on her, _Damn, I forgot she slept naked around here._

Unconsciously, some of the old Clark Kent broke through, he felt a slight heat in his cheeks, and his hand rubbed the back of his neck.

Finally, he moved closer to the bed, and gently moved her a bit, "Diana." Her naked back was to him, the sheets stopping at her lower back. She was painfully beautiful. He kicked himself again for being too blinded by grief and anger to take a chance with her like he knew he should have. One more regret he had from last century was that he was just not ready. _  
_

But now, he was.

"Diana, wake up, please." He shook her again, with a little more force, but just enough to wake her from her no doubt peaceful dreams.

She groaned, and rolled over, so she was facing him, her eyes were still closed, but he knew she was just about awake now.

Rao she was beautiful. The same ebony colored thick locks were sleep tussled, and draped over her right eye, she was breathtaking, it had truly been too long, and while he had never forgotten her face, the reality of her beauty was always something that could strike him deep down to the core of his very existence. She still was, after all this time, the most beautiful woman he had seen thus far in his life.

"Diana. It's me, Kal."

It was then, as if she had heard the name in her dream only to find that it was reality, that the same warm sapphire eyes shot open, and bore in to him with all their divine glory. For a few moments, she didn't say anything, she just stared at him, nigh disbelieving.

"Kal...Kal-El?"

* * *

_A/N: I just want to remind you guys that this is not primarily a SMWW story. In fact, it's more about Kal and his journey among anything else. And yes, Faora will be another main character in this story and btw I will not be using the SMWW comics at all, or at least, it will have a mild influence in the way of things in this AU. So I hope you guys enjoy the direction I will be taking the story as time rolls on, as always I appreciate the reviews and feel free to PM me too :D_


	3. Chapter 3

Distractions

"If you came all this way to bed me, I fear you may have to work a little harder this time. Things have changed."

_Yes apparently so, _Kal thought sourly. This was obviously not the same woman he had known a century prior. She, like all things he had touched since the incident that changed his life, was corrupted.

His influence a blight that scarred the Earth, and continued to even to this very moment. He had a lot to atone for, many things to answer for. And he worked very hard to make sure that he kept himself a ghost these past few decades, for he knew his presence only served to add more fuel to the flame.

He needed her to see that he had changed, for the better this time. No doubt she would be able to see a lie as clear as she could a pimple on his forehead, she could see through false promises and it scared him sometimes, even now, that this incredibly gifted and beautiful woman that was tested and tried, was corrupted, by love for a man that for the better part of his life, was consumed by grief and anger.

So it must have only been natural for some of it to rub off on her, and even though she herself has been paying for her sins longer than he, he was shocked to see that he had made more progress than she had. For too long, he had held on to his grief of Lois, his rage seethed through him at the hand that he was dealt, the mighty Superman, he who hovered in the skies ever so vigilant, brought to the ground and rended to his knees by not only a madman, but by himself.

Eventually, that very same grief disappated,. and eventually gave way to pure anger and nothing else. Some of what was left of the man before that terrible day, faded away piece by piece, until like the pheonix, a new one arose from it's ashes.

And once again, he was reborn.

And what of Diana? What happens to those that aren't blessed with the sudden ability to change their entire personalities and mindsets? What happens to those that can't switch their emotions on and off? Kal had no answer, for him everything came natural, as if he was handed all the good, and the bad things in his life.

And so he had come here, seeking her out, trying to get her to understand just how much time had changed him.

And unfortunately, he hadn't braced himself for how much time had changed her as well.

"That's not why I'm here. You think so little of me?" He frowned down at her, she sat up in the bed, not even bothering to uphold the sheet, so her naked torso was revealed to him.

_"So why _are you here then? After all this time?" She met with her own steely gaze, she considered giving in to her pride and smirking at how his eyes roamed her figure, but decided against it, _I won't make him feel too bad so soon._

"I came here for you." He replied simply, as if he was her boyfriend whisking her off to prom, like decades hadn't passed by already.

"You can't just take me from here...This is my home. And I doubt my sisters would appreciate a man, no less a _Super _one, hauling me over his shoulder."

Kal's face frowned, "Yes, dully noted. Please Diana, just listen, hear me out."

She folded her arms, her jaw clenched, she let her eyes roam the room. Silently contemplating whether or not she should just scream and alert the guards, or indulge him, and hear the newest of excuses.

The latter won out.

"Fine."

"Thank you." He smiled down at her, and Diana almost swooned. She had long swore to herself that she would not fall for that smile again. But seeing it now, after all this time, it almost made her forget of the past, and the sins that the two of them had committed over the years. She almost forgot that terrible day where she gazed down helpless at a man who cradled his dead wife in his arms, sobbing quietly as he whispered regrets and "I'm sorry" over and over again.

He was the strongest of them, and for a second, she was reminded of the joyful, powerful, charismatic, and utterly beautiful man that had captured her heart so many years ago.

But that was only for a second.

"Let me just start off by saying how sorry I am that it had taken so long for me to get to this point. I've been away for some time, watching, waiting. Observing as the world around me was born again over and over, new leaders taking the helm in a war that we waged so long ago. A war that I started against my own friends."

He paused for a moment, letting the air stiffen around them as he held her gaze, he wanted her to feel uncomfortable, he wanted her out of her comfort zone, out of whatever funk she had herself fixed in, "A war that I dragged you in." He said softly, regret all to present in his voice.

"It was my choice to stand with you. You did not bewitch me in to fighting with you, for you." She said hesitantly, as if the last few words would break the levees that she had spent so much time constructing.

"When I made my choice to stand with you Kal, it was because I wanted to. And perhaps my personal feelings may have been a major part of it, we all had something personal at stake during that war, but I stood with you during that entire time because I honestly felt like it was the right thing to do."

It was clear to him just how much of her own pride she was sucking up right now in her confession. She may have put up a tough front, but of course, the woman was just as he had known her to be a century prior, once she loved, she would never let that love go. And it was clear that she loved him, still, even after all this time. But the question was, whether that love was in only friendship, or if they could truly be an item again, just in the right way this time, with no attachments to Lois weighing him down.

"Diana...I'm aware of what kind of person you are. Even after everything that's happened, you always could see the good in people, so I'm hoping you could see the good that I've been wringing together within myself, hopefully you accept it, but then there's the chance that you don't. And if it comes to that, I promise I'll leave you alone, and if by some chance we do cross paths, I'll keep my distance. I just wanna know if-"

"Sh Kal, just...stop."

She silenced him with a kiss. And a forgiving gaze. The kiss itself was...sweet, and hinted at future passions to come.

Should he follow up with his honey slicked words however.

But ah, her lips were as he remembered them to be, sweet, like the ambrosia the Gods themselves were said to dine off of. It was like an addiction that Kal wished he could kick himself over and over for ever coming clean from. The kiss lingered on more than Diana probably wished it would, as he poured a little bit of his pent up passion into the flame.

And when he met her gaze with his own, flashes of a woman he had last seen when he had left Daxam ten years prior popped up through his mind.

_Dammit, I still think of her! I shouldn't be but damn it all, she just won't go away._

He fought in his mind, a battle that he knew he could not win, a battle against the visage of a beautiful yet deadly and mysterious woman. Hair the same short length it had been when he and her first met when Dru-Zod invaded Earth, and devastated Metropolis in his attempt to terraform Earth in to his perfect version of what Krypton would have looked like.

That damned unforgettable woman.

Faora-Ul.

"Something wrong Kal?" Diana asked, tone rigid with concern, in the time she had known him, he rarely spaced out, and when he did it was something that was truly disrupting his otherwise super-computer mind.

"Huh? Oh nothing, just thinking about where we go from here."

"Well...you didn't come all this way for me to send you back. I shall let you share my bed once more, but it will be some time before things get to the way...they were before." She said sheepishly, no doubt some heat rose to her cheeks at the memories the two used to have, the good times, they weren't too numerous given the circumstances, but they were there. "However, if anyone catches you here, they would surely-"

"Castrate me? Oh Diana, I must remind you I'm a light sleeper, as you should know this already. I'll be fine." He replied with a slight smile, before leaning in to kiss her again.

_A/N: Good lord I have returned. Life has been rather interesting these past couple months so I haven't been able to update as much as before. I just wanted to address some things I felt you guys should know, one of them being, to not draw any conclusions from just one single chapter. One review I got on my "In Our Hands Now" story bashed me for making Superman a father figure instead of a little brother to Superboy, now mind you, I had barely got around to building the Super fam for that story, and as it stands, Clark/Connor have not even had the chance to progress, so please, give me a chance to post a new chapter before you flame on me lol. I love making things unpredictable and at times confusing, just so you can have that huge payoff later as the chapters unfold. So with that being said, sit back and enjoy the ride, and if you don't, I won't hold it against you. But to those that like my work, you have my thanks (: One more thing, keep in mind this story is comprised of mainly one shots from the past, and present. And for those wondering, the year is 2125. Oh, and yeah, the next chapter I explain just what happened between Supes and Faora 10 years prior to this chapter on Daxam. Till then, enjoy :D_


	4. Chapter 4

Showdown in the Market

Daxam.

It was the closest thing to Krypton as the people there were Kryptonian in everything but name. Of course, one could not miss the little detail that instead of their biggest weakness being Kryptonite, lead was proven to be fatal, and Kal thought it was almost funny how the harmless substance (to him at least) could bring down people that rivaled Kryptonian power.

Thing here on Daxam wasn't so bad, even though he had barely just touched down just a month ago, he couldn't say that there was so much a difference between this world and Earth. The people here weren't exactly as...unruly in a manner of speaking, as their Kryptonian heraldry naturally gave way to order and equality, to a certain extent however. As it was on Krypton, the population was split up, whereas on Krypton it was a caste system, here they liked to call it, "social classes". You had the warrior caste, which split up into mercenaries and soldier's of a King's city guard and army, you had the merchants who essentially were the lifeblood of Daxam. Without them the world would collapse, as Daxam had just recently opened up trade with other planets, through the use of down scaled boomtubes which were essentially transported the item in exchange along with the currency in a indestructible chest crafted from Valorite, the toughest of Daxamite metals named after the premier religion on Daxam. Then you had the scientists, which Kal took a great interest in since his family was of the scientific caste on Krypton, and it seemed that their role even here on Daxam had not changed much, they were still highly respected and in charge over a great many of expeditions and experiments not only in the lab, but off world as well. It seemed that times had changed, whereas the planet at one time had prohibited travel to and from its borders, it was now conducting trade (albeit through a machine as they were still fairly distrusting of aliens) and had now begun to explore the planets around them that remained uninhabited.

Of course you had the loosest class, the workers, who essentially could move up any time they wished through the warrior caste in order to serve through a weapon rather than a worker's tool. It struck Kal as no wonder that the two classes were so easily linked together, peasants became generals, and generals gave way to future kings, and council members, it was the Daxamite equivalent of the American Dream, Kal nearly snorted at the idea. Of course you had the royals, which included the kings of every major city on Daxam, the council members that hailed from each city, and of course the Emperor, the essential King of Kings on Daxam. And his name was Oskr-Tal, also known as, "The Way"

To Kal, none of these "social classes" mattered, as it was on Earth, you were either rich, or you weren't, and seeing as how he grew up on a farm under Jonathan and Martha Kent, money was there but it was never in great quantities, they took what they could get, instilling within Kal that material values cannot fulfill a man for so long. Eventually, you'll have to learn to take care of yourself, not only financially, but internally and of course externally.

And Kal couldn't help but wonder, had he failed their teachings?

He wasn't exactly blinded by material wants, but he was blinded by his own grief for so long. He scoffed at how jovial he used to be, a smile was usually plastered on his face when out of combat, and if he wasn't smiling, well, he was always courteous and generally in a well enough mood. _Oh how the mighty have fallen, _he thought sarcastically. He went out of control, started wrecking and corrupting anything and anyone who would follow his path of a seemingly never ending vengeance masked by a noble yet brutal crusade against crime and injustice. He destabilized every single government on Earth and made them march under a single banner, _his. _Sad part about it all was, he couldn't remember who exactly he was seeking vengeance against, he had already disposed of the Joker, the madman that was responsible for the bombing of Metropolis, so that was that. But of course, that did not sate his grief, revenge proved to be a sweet appetizer, but not a filling entree.

Perhaps this was...it? Whatever he was missing may be here, on Daxam?

Who knows, certainly he didn't.

He had no particular reason for being here, other than the fact he wanted to be. He had journeyed to the remains of the great Krypton, and seen just that, remains.

So maybe Daxam can give him the release he had sought after for so long, in his self imposed exile from being Superman, he came here hoping to be Kal-El, still known as Superman, but his exploits outside of Daxam truly did not matter here, the people still looked at him as the humans would look at Clark Kent, just without the ridiculous guise.

Known, respected, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary. He liked it this way, considering how the planet's red sun giant Valor, stripped him of his powers, thus rendering him for the first time...normal.

As he thought about it, the void in his chest was actually filling a little bit, not too much but it was there, he was finally among those his physical equal, if he was to punch or take one, he would feel it, and no doubt it would hurt more than the usual. Here, he doesn't have to pretend, hide, numb down his powers, or anything, because as it was, he had none here. No one did.

As he walked through the bustling market place of the thriving trade city Ranact, he came across a merchant that was willing to take in the legendary Superman's wares and buy them off him for the highest bidder, clearly being famous helped a ton, perhaps being a dictator did as well, for the people here eyed with respect, admiration, _fear. _The old him revelled in the fear especially, it meant they wouldn't think once about screwing with him, and if they did, they sure as hell wouldn't give it a seconds thought, let alone gamble their well beings on it.

_Dammit, there I go again. _Kal sighed, it had been so long since he took a life, he regretted ever doing so, for he knew now that death was inescapable, and regardless of whether he wished to kill or not, he knew it would more than likely have to come down to that once or twice. Sometimes, there truly was no other option. But here he is, on a planet full of people that could do more than just give him a run for his money, they could end him, before he could even begin to fight back.

Pray that Rao doesn't allow such a fate.

As he walked out of the shop, credit chit with an Earth equivalent of $100,000 on it now, a commotion in the market square was beginning to heat up. Two men, dressed in expensive Daxamite clothes, were arguing over something, at first Kal thought it was money, but once Rao and heretic was thrown in to the debate, Kal had to hear more. He knew of the religious situation on Daxam becoming more heated by the minute, two main groups were appearing to be spearheading the verbal war, and if what Kal heard to be true, the situation was becoming physical, very fast.

One man, dressed in a tan jacket, was a fairly built man, who was probably in the military for some time, he was tall, and experienced looking, he towered over the other man who was not in as good a shape as the other, he was a round, and balding man, but he was the snarky, snobby type, the kind Kal used to exploit for corruption in his early days as Superman, back when all he had was a t shirt with his house emblem on it, and a short cape with jeans and work boots.

Kal chose to just refer to the names, "the Tall Guy, and the Fat Guy", simple.

The Fat Guy, spoke the loudest, and all the while kept a smug, self righteous mug on, but of course he was backed by a group of what seemed to be 8 bodyguards, _Figures, _Kal scowled at the man.

"There is no stopping me from spreading the word of Valor, he took us with open arms while Rao did nothing but commit genocide of his own children! Here we formed a life for ourselves, you yourself are a son of Daxam, why do you choose to fight Valor's call?"

"Because I know Rao did not kill his own people you fool. Rao has been good to me and my family for generations dating back to our days on Krypton, he was generous to us then, and he remains so now. Unlike you, I follow facts, people of Daxam hear me, Krypton did not fall to Rao, it fell by it's own hand!" The Tall Guy fired back.

Gasps were heard all around, some had faces with shock plastered all over, while some were overall not surprised, it seemed the crowd was split between those ignorant of Krypton's true fate, and those that couldn't be more surprised that the it was the inhabitants fault, _A_ _perplexing race these Daxamites are, if Kryptonians were like this._..

"You heretic, Valor would have me-"

"You won't do a thing, Gaj-Mal, your puppets behind you, will. I know your type, the loudest mouth yet the weakest in muscle density, is it any wonder your beloveds refuse to elope? Are you truly so terrible in bed?" The Tall Guy smirked, his comments were followed by various snickers of his own smaller troop of guardsmen, and the crowd.

The Tall Guy didn't have a group size as big as the Fat One, Gaj-Mal his was maybe 5 including himself, which meant he was either very confident in his own skills and that of his guards, or that he was a little too foolhardy for his own good. And judging by the way the two were dressed, they must have been of high importance, too high to be wandering the streets alone.

"You jest to hide the truth, maybe it is you that cannot amount to his own worth, you see, what I hold here in my hand is the truth of your family's welfare and success, what I hold here is...Is...your-" Kal was waiting on the next part, his eyebrow was raised as he looked on at Gaj-Mal who looked like he was confused himself as to why he was choking on his words so suddenly, Kal became even more confused once he seen the man wobble on his feet, struggling to maintain balance, soon enough, the man fell backwards, onto the arms of one of his body guards. The crowd around him gasped, shocked as the truth became ever more apparent until the guard that held Gaj-Mal's unmoving form yelled, "The Prince of Ranact is dead!"

And that was when Kal's trained eye and eidetic memory processed the whole scene in total recall, trying to piece together what was happening, soon enough, he began to piece together the fact that one of Mal's personal escorts were missing, and the fact that the Mal had one of his guards hand him the slip of paper personally merely seconds before his death, Kal had recognized the guard as a woman, but the face was...obscured, he couldn't make it out from his angle, but he did know the face to be strangely familiar...But how?

He knew her hair to be short, fashioned in a way for a woman that was in the military, short, covered a bit of her forehead too, her eye from this distance he could see was...brown? No, BLUE. But the shade was...just different, it was cold, cold in such a way it reminded him of...Could it be?

Was it...Faora?

The last time he had seen her was when Zod invaded Earth back in 2013, he was sure they were sent back to the Phantom Zone...But how the hell would she get out? He had a Phantom Zone projector back in his Fortress on Earth, which only HE had access to. Was it possible someone here on Daxam had one as well? It was impossible, but Kal's eyes did not lie, Faora was here on Daxam, he knew her enough to deduce that theory as a fact.

Kal's thoughts were interrupted by as new commotion, "Seize him, the murderer of the Prince! Seize Ren-Fas!" The Guards then pulled out what seemed to be lightsabers from their hips, except these were actually shaped like swords, and looked even deadlier as whatever technology the blades boasted made the swords cackle and roar with searing flames of blue.

Ren-Fas himself looked in shock that he was being accused, but could not dispute his innocence for the dead Prince's troops charged him and his own with their blades, with no other choice the man conceded to battle, as he and his guards whipped their own blades out and quickly engaged in a bloody brawl.

It was Chaos, and Kal was not about to just stand by.

_A/N: Quick update this time, to be honest, I'm having so much fun writing Daxam, there's so much freedom for me to go off on with this, and I'm honestly loving how it's going so far. I don't know if this story will remain as a series of one shots anymore, I may just have to put more into it than that. As you can see, Faora is gonna play a huge role in this story, and I have big plans for the two of them, but for now, its time for Supes to play hero finally for the first time in a century. Here's a warning however, this Superman is older, been through a lot, and as you can see, is willing to cross that line of taking a life, so if you don't like it, I'm letting you know now, it's a different Supes than what you're used to, and I think that is what makes writing this story so fun, the fact that my Supes is on a planet full of equals. So let me know what you guys think :D_


	5. Chapter 5

The Chase

It was a downright bloodbath in the markets, and Kal couldn't be more disappointed in what he'd seen. Before this, he liked to think that nothing could surprise him anymore, he also liked to think that the Daxamites were better than this, that they were logical people much like the Kryptonians were.

Well, that wasn't exactly what he was seeing here.

The soldiers were clearly trained, they knew what they were doing, and it showed in their techniques, the utilized straight and narrow, brutal sword fighting skills instead of any fancy stuff, but here and there he would see the occasional dazzling riposte and parry from the Prince's guard, while Fas' men countered with their own underhanded techniques like reaching into their belts to pull out concealed daggers, stabbing their surprised opponents to death like savages.

_This is like Game of Thrones in the Space Age._

Kal knew better than to directly involve himself in the fight, as it wasn't exactly his place, but he knew he could at least try to corrall the onlookers to a safer place, "Everyone, step away and return to your homes, it isn't safe here!" He bellowed as loud as he could over the thrashing of empowered blades clashing against each other and Daxamite steel.

Occasionally, he would have to stare down a prideful onlooker who wasn't ready to give up his perfect view of the fight, but Kal was pretty satisfied to see that his reputation preceeded him. Kal turned his attention back to the fight to see if Fas' men still had the upper hand.

They did.

In fact, Fas himself was finishing off the last soldier as the proverbial dust cleared. He considered approaching the man, in hopes of getting a better grasp on just what the hell was going on, but then again he could chase down Faora and see if he could get some answer out of her, and hopefully without any violence this time around.

He opted for the latter, Fas could wait another time, for Kal had a very good feeling this wouldn't be the last time that he would get an opportunity to speak with him.

After all, he always did love a good chase.

Casting the hood of his duster over his head, he adjusted the pancho like fabric that hung over the House of El sigil on his chest so he could remain unnoticed, he quickly waded his way through the scene down the alleyway that he had seen Faora go through. Heart beating like a hunter stalking prey, the excitement of a hunt between equals thrilled him. He felt out of his element but strangely felt at home, as if this is where he should have been all along, and while they may not be Kryptonian in name anymore, they were as good as gold if you asked him.

The city of Ranact could best be described as a oasis, a living breathing city in the harsh desert of the extremely vast southern Joros (Joh-Ras) desert plains, the city was full of skycrapers that could rip a nasty gash in the very atmosphere if they were any higher, sky cars and domesticated beast mounts were usually used for transportation on Daxam, but Ranact prided itself on their Sykets (Sick-Ets) which could be best described as flying lions, they were about 4.5 m, and were known for their legendary longetivity, able to live up to 36 years. Of course, in order to regulate air traffic, mounts and sky cars had two completely different flyzones, with the former being closer to the ground.

He prayed that Faora hadn't already made her escape.

The dust had gotten into the walkways so he was able to follow the tracks of her boots, she was clearly in a hurry as the trail seemed to extend for the longest time before he finally got to the end of the seemingly never ending walk way, _and of course, the trail ends here. _

The dust trail disappeared here, like some cliche in a an old movie Kal contemplated whether or not he should start feeling up the walls for a hidden switch that might open up a door somewhere. Thankfully, he did not have to embarass himself that way, for the flapping of wings was heard above him suddenly, he looked up and rolled out of the way just in time as a black and white striped Syket came pouncing down on the spot where he had been. Kal looked for the rider, knowing Sykets never stray from their masters without instruction, from what he had read up on Sykets, they were extremely loyal and inteligent.

It was chilling how such animals could exist.

"Figures that you would be the cause of this madness. I see things truly don't change with you." He scowled at her visage, she once again had a self righteous mug on her face, as if she was a saint of the people that could do no wrong, Kal himself was an expert on that, he should know after all.

He was that fallen angel, that tainted saint.

"I could say the same of you, always head first into danger. It also seems the humans weren't able to change another thing about you after all, Son of El. You don't age like them." She said smugly.

"Nice show you put on back at the market, inciting a riot to increase social instability, I've seen this before, many times. It's not gonna end well, it definitely won't for you."

"What do you know of politics? What do you know of me? Let me tell you something Son of El, if you are here to stop me, then you have more than one woman to worry about. You contend with many other at this point that also seek my head...And while it has been a long time, I can sense that things have...changed, within you. I know just by the look of you, that you are no longer inhibited by your once foolish morals. Perhaps you have finally heeded my words from when we first met, how-"

"A lack of morality provides an evolutionary advantage. I remember alright. But no, you've got it all wrong. I don't even know enough of what's going on here to stop you. But from what I've seen so far, you're apart of something bigger than a mere market place skirmish. And like I've said, this looks to me like something you'll regret in the end."

He wasn't hoping on getting through to her, not so soon at least. Faora was an independent woman, well, at least now it seems. When she was under Zod's command, she seemed to fall in line just fine with the good General's orders. Perhaps not too much had changed with her either? Kal couldn't help but notice that she had looked much the same since the last time that they had met. She still possessed the same cold, blue eyes that reminded him of the killer beneath the visage of a beautiful face. A hundred plus years ago he would never admit it, but the woman was a damn knockout in her own league. He couldn't help but take notice at how form fitting her guard's armor was, it didn't reveal flesh, but it did hint at the deadly beauty the woman's body possessed. Faora was definitely more than just another adversary from the past, this woman was definitely going to be sticking around for a while.

Kal just didn't know for how long.

Faora tried hard enough to not notice Kal in such a way either. She pulled out one of her blades and examined it, pulling a smirk at how his body visually tensed up at what could be perceived as a possible threat. _He takes me seriously. good. _She was so tired of being downplayed as a woman in a man's world like she was on Krypton, and if she could be honest, it was entirely possible for her to rise to great success as a woman on Krypton, women and men were considered equal in many ways, but the problem was, it was rare that she could find a man that was ever really...a _MAN _enough to view her as just what she was, an equal. A man who wasn't afraid to see past the dedicated warrior and see a woman who was extremely loyal to what and whom she believed in.

Perhaps Kal-El was that man, a man that obviously came here for something. But just didn't know what that something was...yet.

Handsome. Serious. New to the world.

Yes, perhaps she shall be seeing more of him.

"You want answers, listen to the people, keep up with the events of the world, look beyond the street fights and assassinations and take in the world as a whole. You'll see a war is coming Kal-El. There will be no compromise, and you will have to choose a side."

"And what side are _you _on...Faora?"

The woman holstered her blade, then looked back at him and smiled slyly, "The side I believe is just. The side which would set me free."

She tossed to Kal what looked like a badge of some sorts, then flew off over the adjacent building. Kal examined the badge and read the words, surprisingly, it was written in English, "_Return here three weeks from now." __  
_

_"_So that's how it's gonna be huh..."


	6. Chapter 6

Salvation

Faora knew within her heart that Kal-El was not a man who came here to Daxam looking for a war. If anything, he looked like he had already been through one, and based off of that observation, she could tell he was looking to repent, he just didn't know in what way he should.

_Perfect then, here's a way he can help._

There was more than just Rao's honor at stake here, it was the future of Krypton, a second chance. Jor-El was right, Krypton was on the verge of self-destruction and it was only a matter of time before they would all die. Well, considering how she isn't the only Kryptonian here on Daxam, Jor-El was for once, wrong.

For the Kryptonian race did not die with their planet, they were still very much alive.

There were more like her, an independent cell that could not afford to choose just one side, their mystery allowed for double agents to play the field, flying under the Daxamite banner with daggers underneath their friendly visage, ready to get rid of all that would stand in their way. It was necessary for them to make their home in the shadows, as it also was for them to hide in plain sight. H

How else could they carry out their tasks?

The rebirth of Krypton was going to have a bloody prequel, and Faora suspected that she would need someone with great off world and on world influence in order to be the shepherd for the new age, someone strong enough mentally and physically to handle these new challenges...And it seemed that man was going to be the same man who had trapped her in the Phantom Zone all those years ago, the Son of El.

And if he wasn't willing, she was sure events would play out on their own which would convince him to see he had to make a choice, and it started with the "sudden revocation" in his off world VIP passport. Disguising it as error in the system that would take months at the most to fix, she chuckled to herself the surprise that awaited Kal-El should he try to escape what was coming.

In a way, Faora viewed this as her revenge, she would trap him, just as he had trapped her, and no matter what he tried, there wasn't anything he could do in the immediate future to prevent this.

He had to choose.

Faora just hoped that her gamble would work, and that he chose her-um the right side.

_What in the depths was that?_

Faora shook her head at her mental mishap, it was time to sit back, and let the man take in Daxam, but one thing was for certain, Daxam, will never be the same by the end of this year.

She could bet her life on that.

* * *

Ren-Fas stood tall at the end of the battle, much like he expected he would. Everything had gone as planned, for once. Faora had done her job extremely well, and clean. No one knew her true name, only her Daxamite alias, and he would even bet his family's wealth on Superman's stay here on Daxam would be...altered to better suit their needs.

As a fellow Kryptonian, he should understand.

But he had spent next to no time at all with his own people, and no doubt the time he had spent with them was rather...sour, and could have gone a lot better.

Fas wasn't truly surprised that he chose to go after Faora first instead of checking up on him, it truly didn't matter, the result would be the same. Sooner or later Kal-El would have no choice but to choose whether he would stand with the winds of change, or if he would resist it, Fas just hoped he would choose to see reason. The goal was simply to show the entire galaxy that Krypton was not dead at all, it was just resting up, licking its wounds on Daxam until it was ready to sprout its great black wings again. Fas lost nearly everything and everyone he had on Krypton, he chose a risky option of using a boomtube that Kryptonian scouts had acquired off a Apokoliptian scouting unit that ventured a little too far beyond their borders, the good thing about keeping up with your schoolwork during your history classes was the fact that you knew your ancestors could tinker around with the Mother Box's, and after years of practice, you were able to follow in their footsteps.

And that's honestly the only reason he was alive now, because he was a man who paid great attention, and took no lesson lightly, whether it was in victory or in defeat, each outcome birthed a lesson, and the more you learned, the better your chances of survival.

And now, survival was the only way to continue the mission. How many assassins had found him every week? How many of those men and women had gotten close to getting rid of the most controversial noble in Ranact? How many other nobles feared him, and wanted to silence his mouth, and halt his movements? Way too many, Fas sighed. He had to end this fight sooner than later. The Daxamites were extremely suspicious of him and his motives, ever since he socially denounced Krypton to become a man of Daxam, he knew no one in power truly believed he had, the only reason he was here was because the Kryptonians had never really ventured off planet, and since Kryptonians from the past were exiled from Krypton to what is now Daxam, the only true coordinateds he could find in his ancestor's memory banks, were to here.

He wanted nothing more than to leave, but he could never do that, not now, he could never be free while these bastards were in power. Krypton could never rise again while Daxam was hard set in the old ways, Fas knew damn well they had to reform, they had to unite, and he was responsible for actually seeing some of these breakthroughs come into fruition, but they were only meager advancements, that only suited to help transport in goods to help keep the troops well equipped and accommodated.

"Quite a fight that was, I can see you can handle yourself better than most of the men of your station." Came a deep, powerful voice from behind, Fas spun around, and was face to face with the legend himself, the babe that escaped from his homeworld was here in the flesh, and he didn't look pleased.

"Superman, Kal-El, it is an honor-"

"Save it, I know you're not a "son of Daxam". You're from Krypton, I know those hand to hand skills better than anyone around here." Fas was at a disadvantage, the Kryptonian hand to hand combat technique _Chikara (_Chee-Kar-ah) was all but lost to Daxamites, so few would ever know it after such a long time, but how unfair is it of him than to think anything less of Superman. After all, here he was speaking a language most would consider dead.

"Heh, so you speak our language so well. And you noticed the greatest hand to hand technique of our time, I'm impressed, you truly are a Son of Krypton, though as you can see, you are far from the Last." Fas said with a slight smirk, he held out his hand to Kal, here was another small, unspoken test, one that Kal was able to pick up on, as he grasped Fas' arm just as Fas grasped his.

"Welcome to Daxam, Kal. I hope I can call you Kal?" Fas' visage still friendly.

"It's alright, so how about you tell me what's really going on here." Kal's steely gaze drifting to the bodies that scattered the market square.

"Ah, that. Well, as you can see I am clearly not the most popular man on Daxam. I have enemies."

"As do we all."

"But none more here on Daxam than me, I assure you of that." He laughed heartily, "Oh, how rude of me, allow me to introduce myself my name is-"

"Ren-Fas, I caught your name."

Fas frowned in consideration, from what he knew of Superman, the man appreciated honesty, and straightforward diplomacy, and seeing as how there wasn't exactly a grand amount of time, he decided it was time to bring Superman in to the fold, immediately if possible. Faora would frown upon this, but they had no time for that. She would just have to trust him.

Just like Fas was going to have to trust Superman, in order for Superman to trust him.

"Actually, that is not my true name. Ren-Fas is the name I chose after I opted for Daxamite citizen ship. Thankfully, the Daxamite government reimbursed me due to my family being well-known and highly respected on Krypton, you may have heard of the House of Gand?" When Kal's eyebrows rose, Gand knew instantly that he had surprised him with his upfront honesty, when he nodded his head in affirmation, Lar Gand decided to continue.

"Good, well, my name is Lar Gand, it is so very good to meet you Kal."

_A/N: Decided to change Lar Gand's origins from native Daxamite, to Kryptonian under a Daxamite alias. Gonna try my best to fit in as many Superman icons as I can. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this though (:_


End file.
